Curriculum Intent
At St Joseph’s Academy we have designed our Orion curriculum with the intent that our most vulnerable children, will become confident, self-motivated learners. Our children will engage in a wide and varied curriculum along with the skills to reintegrate pupils back into the mainstream classroom environment. Our curriculum will provide the strategies and skills to understand and regulate their emotions to be able to achieve their potential. Through this programme the children will be exposed to a wide variety of topics and experiences that meet their individual needs alongside broadening their knowledge. We aim to remove barriers to learning by meeting individual needs through a holistic approach to the curriculum and personal targets. Through this curriculum the pupils will develop skills for life that will help learning in the mainstream classroom. We intend for this programme to be 12 weeks long with a highly structured exit plan to ensure that skills are transferred from the Orion Group into the mainstream classroom.
Curriculum Implementation
We ensure that or Orion curriculum provides many purposeful experiences that helps to develop and inspire the children into becoming active and engaged learners, whilst being able to understand and regulate emotions. The Orion sessions run every afternoon, Monday to Friday with a group of 10 children working alongside 3 adults for a total of 12 weeks. The children are assessed at the start, mid-point and end of the programme. These assessments are used to develop personal targets for each individual child. Children are taught to recognise and understand their emotions through the Zones of Regulation and personal targets are addressed through Thrive sessions. A whole group quality is shared at the start of each session and referred to throughout all learning experiences. The curriculum is taught daily in small groups and revisited regularly to help retain knowledge. All objectives are adapted to the individual need and ability of each child. Key vocabulary is displayed and discussed at the start of each session. Free flow activities are incorporated into to support learning through a sensory approach. Each session follows the same structure, allowing reflection points, breaks and moments of stillness to support emotional regulation.
Curriculum Impact
Our Orion Curriculum should ensure that:
- Children leave with the ability to recognise and regulate their emotions.
- Children are empowered to engage in learning in a mainstream classroom.
- Children can express themselves in a controlled and clear way.
- Children have a clear understanding of learning behaviours.
- Staff nurture the individual character of each pupil.
